


Ghost in the Shell: The X Reality X of X Nen

by Xavier_Rall



Category: Ghost in the Shell (Anime & Manga), Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Corruption, Crimes & Criminals, Crossover, Drama, Fantasy, Fights, Gangs, Gen, Nen (Hunter X Hunter), Police, Post-Canon, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-11-03 19:56:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17884178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xavier_Rall/pseuds/Xavier_Rall
Summary: Motoko Kusanagi and her team may have met their match in the organization known as Free Magic, whose use of the strange power of Nen has made them nearly powerless to stop its members. Section 9 soon finds the world around them being transformed by both Free Magic and Nen, and they must catch up to both if they hope to survive!





	1. The X Impossible X Train X Trip

“Speech”

_Thoughts_

Cyber-Communication

<Phone/Radio/Video>

* * *

Daisuke Aramaki was a man of great experience. He had seen the world be rocked by global conflict twice – both nuclear and non-nuclear. He had seen technology evolve at a staggering rate to the point where the human soul could be examined, quantified, identified, and even directly manipulated. And his time as chief of Public Security Section 9 had shown him the great many dangers that the world of the ‘Net posed to people’s privacy and lives, as well as the various lengths and means that those who posed said dangers to go to get what they want.

Chief, anything new from the Ministry of Transportation? came a female voice through his neural connection.

“Nothing since your team moved out, Major,” he replied from his place at Section 9 HQ, as he overlooked the support AIs and a digital map of New Port city showing their target moving rapidly. “The train is still moving along the B rail line at 175 kilometers per hour. The Ministry of Transportation has already cleared the trains off of all the tracks in the city, so we’re at no risk of collision.”

Has Free Magic made any new announcements? a deeper male voice asked. Because I don’t see how a runaway train is supposed to get the Higashisanjou executives to give in to their demands, unless they have hostages or something really valuable on that train.

Nothing on that front, Batou, the Major replied. I accessed the rail systems, but I’ve found no sign of a virus in the system or even any other remote access or attempt at hacking the rail system. If Free Magic is controlling the train, they must have interfered with the hardware on the train itself.

Major, I got something, came another male voice. But you’re not going to believe it.

Aramaki raised his eyebrow. After all, Ishikawa was not one prone to making such statements, and there was quite a bit that Section 9 had seen, so the realm of unbelief was thinner for them than most.

What is it, Ishikawa? the Major replied.

I’ve been going through the surveillance cameras around the time when the train was hijacked, and remember how at the stop right before the train was hijacked and ran away, passengers got off the car, but the train’s crew also got off, and all of them insisted that no one else get on?

Their cyberbrains were hacked by Free Magic to get everyone off the train, the Major said. What’s so unbelievable about that?

Here’s the footage of the incident. Take a look at the elderly couple.

The video Ishikawa showed came to Aramaki’s cyber-eyes. He saw everyone get off the train, both passengers and crew alike, and they were pushing and pulling and even fighting on their way off the train to keep everyone out. Aramaki saw the couple at Ishikawa’s prompting, saw as the old lady smacked a younger woman with her walking stick, and the man, her husband presumably, wrestling with a suited salaryman. Then, after the train left, everyone who’d been attacking the others suddenly collapsed.

What’s so significant about the couple? Aramaki asked.

I used facial recognition to look at their records because they stood out, Ishikawa replied. And here’s what I found out: they are one hundred percent natural.

Are you saying that the elderly couple might be part of Free Magic, the Major inquired. And helped orchestrate the runaway train, and used the cyberhacked crowd to escape?

I thought about that briefly, but then I used facial recognition on the rest of the passengers and crew who were cyberhacked, and I found three more people who are 100% natural and two more with partial prosthetics that don’t include a cyberbrain. And all of them acted in the same manner as the others, who had cyberbrains. 

That IS strange, Batou said. If it was just a cyberbrain hack, then they wouldn’t have been infected.

Then they’re most likely accomplices for Free Magic, the Major said. Either willing, or unwilling.

That’s not all, Major, Ishikawa continued. I also checked the cameras for all the stops before the train ran away, and I found these three people who boarded the train on the previous stop but were not seen getting off of it.

Ishikawa showed fast-forwarded clips from the cameras at the stop, before pausing it and zooming it in on the features of three people. One looked like a stereotypical punk, with half of his dyed red hair slicked up to look spiky and the other half left hanging over his face, as well as gold piercings in his ears, torn and ragged blue jeans, death metal T-shirt, open dark purple vest, and hi-top green sneakers. His arms were clearly prosthetics, with black spikes riding the back of them The second was dressed in a black niqab that covered her(?) from head to toe, showing only dark brown eyes. The third, which almost drew a guffaw from Aramaki, was dressed as a cowboy. He had gone the whole nine yards to make it look authentic as well, from the weathered and wide dark brown hat and spurred boots to the long duster covering his frame.

Quite the circus we’re dealing with, Batou commented. We got anything else on ‘em?

Not much, unfortunately, Ishikawa said. The kid is Konno Rintaro, age 21, 164 centimeters, approximately 60 kilograms, was disinherited by his family three years ago, has a twin sister, Aye, who abandoned the family to join him. The two haven’t been seen since. As for the other two, the niqab is preventing identification of the woman, and the cowboy is a foreigner, so I’m not finding him on any local databases right now.

These three appear to be members of Free Magic, and potentially a fourth as well, the Major reasoned. Pazu, Bolma, have you found anyone or anything suspicious at the law firm?

Aside from what looks like a lot of yakuza protecting the board, not really seeing anyone who could pose a threat, Pazu replied.

I’ve been looking over the building and even the surrounding ones, but aside from that giant target sign Free Magic put up across the street from Higashisanjou, there’s no evidence that Free Magic has tampered with anything, and no signs of explosives.

Togusa, the Major continued. Have you found anything the police have on the previous Free Magic cases that could be helpful?

Aside from the fact that they are still being overdramatic like the last four times they appeared, Togusa stated. The only thing that has been seen in any of the previous cases is that big banner they put up across from Higashisanjou, and that was something they used to cover a hole they somehow made in the road behind them as they were driving away.

I’ve already examined the banner, Bolma piped up. It’s made of cotton cloth and ordinary oil paint was used to make the target symbol. I’ve also looked behind the banner and there’s nothing there. The only thing that’s so unusual about it is I have no idea what manner of adhesive Free Magic used to put it up, but it’s really strong and it’s already made pulling it down a pain. Taking it down’s going to take hours, and the owners of the building that has the banner have already hired people with power tools to extract it from the side of the building, and police have cleared the area underneath it in case it falls and buries or even crushes someone.

Saito, how is the Board reacting to all this? the Major asked.

I can’t listen in to their conversation, not surprising considering it’s a corporate boardroom in a building owned by a yakuza-aligned firm, Saito said. But I know for a fact they’re still in there. They’re acting like nothing is happening out of the ordinary.

“We can’t afford to continue allowing Free Magic to dictate the rules of engagement,” Aramaki declared. “Major, Batou, how long before the Tachikomas get you on that train?”

We’re at one of the stops ahead of the train, and there no diverting tracks between it and us, the Major reported. At its current speed, it’ll be upon our position in ninety seconds.

“Don’t risk the jump if you’re uncertain you can’t make it,” Aramaki warned.

Don’t worry chief! the Major’s Tachikoma replied enthusiastically.

We’re more than sturdy, quick and smart enough to make it like in the movies, Batou’s Tachikoma declared.

Aramaki nodded, although no one saw him do it. “Very well. Board the train, stop it, and apprehend the suspects. It’s all in your hands again, Major.”

Roger, the Major responded.

Hey, what about my hands, chief? Batou joked.

Aramaki didn’t smile at the joke. He was a man of experience, but none of his experiences gave him a manner of context by which to understand Free Magic. They were flashy, loud, used elaborate tricks and plans, and executed their schemes with seemingly reckless abandon but always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone trying to catch them. They acted like the kind of people you would see in manga and anime, with larger-than-life personalities (previously presumed, but probably now confirmed with the sighting of the cowboy) and grand scale spectacles.

But he didn’t need to have Major Kusanagi’s ghost to know that there was something they were missing, something that would explain what Free Magic was ultimately trying to accomplish.

Something that would explain how an aboveground runaway train could pose a threat to powerful and corporate lawyers over 100 meters off the ground in the middle of a dense urban center in a well-protected building more than five kilometers away.

**GitS/HxH  
**

_40 seconds to jump._

The train was fast approaching. Both Kusanagi and Batou were inside their respective Tachikomas on the roof of the train stop waiting for the train to pass right by in front of and below them.

_30 seconds to jump._

Jumping onto a speeding train like in the movies is technically possible, but it’s very difficult and dangerous if any one of a hundred different factors is against it. Anything from the sheer velocity of the train and the state of repair for both the train and the tracks it’s on to one’s own position relative to the train when it’s time to jump and the surface you’re trying to grab on to in order to actually board the train.

_20 seconds to jump._

Fortunately, Motoko Kusanagi and Batou didn’t have to consciously worry about a lot of these factors, considering they were both fully cyberized and were thus both fully capable of superhuman feats of strength and ability, and they were both riding the robotic Tachikomas that were able to break down the math of such a jump in a split second and whose multiple pedes and spider wire made them very capable of sticking the landing once they jumped.

_10 seconds._

This was it. She was going to have her first encounter with the enigmatic group Free Magic. She couldn’t shake the anticipation of meeting them. Her ghost was telling her it felt like the beginning of the cases of the Laughing Man, the Individual Eleven, and the Solid State Society. She hoped for once it was wrong.

NOW!

Both Tachikomas carrying the Major and Batou immediately jumped forward, firing their spider threads ahead of the train, allowing it to catch them. The energetic robots screamed in enthusiasm as they were briefly pulled in the air by the train, but both landed on the train with solid thumps, both saying ‘oomph’ to emphasize the impact.

Batou, we’re getting onto the train to deal with Free Magic, Kusanagi ordered, as the two Tachikomas headed for the link between the two cars of the old passenger train.

Roger, he replied.

Tachikomas, as soon as we board the train, see if you can find an external cable port so you can take control and stop the train.

YES, MA’AM! they cried.

The hatch opened on Kusanagi’s Tachikoma, allowing the rushing wind through her hair and whipping against her body, trying to drag her away and dash her against the ground. She turned to the door the separated her from the train, and saw Batou through the door’s window to the other side. They nodded to each other, and as one swung forward, smashing in the doors and rolling against the opposite entrances to the connecting cars.

Kusanagi looked into the car ahead of her. Batou, I see the woman in the niqab in the middle car.

I see the cowboy in the front car, Batou replied. Do you see the punk kid?

No, Kusanagi replied. He’s probably controlling the train from the driver’s seat. Which means we need to go through the cowboy.

But we can’t forget the woman either. Batou noted. If we both go for the front, we’ll get caught in the middle of a crossfire. Even if the cowboy isn’t keeping in character, the most he could hide under that coat is a semiautomatic rifle. The woman on the other hand could be hiding a rocket launcher under that robe she’s wearing.

They should have noticed that we’re here by now. Kusanagi reasoned. The fact they’re not shooting means they’re waiting for us to make the next move. Tachikomas, have you found anything yet?

Nothing yet, Major! her Tachikoma responded. It’s also very hard to maneuver on so little surface area when it’s moving so fast and- AH! Duck!

Looks like we might have the best chance of stopping the train, Kusanagi said.

Let me take the woman, Batou offered. That way you can go through the cowboy and then head to the front to stop the train.

Sounds like a plan, Kusanagi agreed, holding her pistol up. Batou mirrored her.

Now!

Kusanagi spun and kicked in the door to the front car, running forward several steps and leveling her gun at the cowboy.

“Police! Freeze!” she ordered.

In front of Kusanagi, in the middle of the train car and leaning against the cushioned plastic seats was the cowboy that Ishikawa had shown in the earlier footage. Up close, Kusanagi could see that he had done a good job embracing the Old American West archetype. From a faded blue button-down shirt and red bandanna to the worn brown leather pants and long coat, and he even had a slow-burning cigarette hanging from the edge of his lips. The only thing that told Kusanagi that he hadn’t literally stepped out of the Old West and into the twenty-first century was his excellent hygienic state, from his clean-shaven face to a lack of dirty smells.

The cowboy straightened himself up and put his hands on his hips and leveled a confident stare into Kusanagi’s eyes. Ignoring Kusanagi, he took another drag on his cigarette, then blowing out a gray cloud of smoke.

Gunshots sounded in the train car behind them, along with shattering glass.

Major, Batou reported. I was right, the lady was packing a pair of shotguns under her dress.

Keep her occupied. I got the cowboy. She put her full attention on the cowboy. “Open your coat, drop your weapons, and put your hands behind your head.” Kusanagi directed.

The man let the cigarette fall out of his mouth onto the floor, where he crushed it with his boot-heel. Then he gave her a smile that sat far too easily on his face for her liking.

“You ma’am, are one of the damn finest-looking women I ever laid eyes on. It’s a good thing that body is 100 percent prosthetics, so I probably won’t be doing any permanent damage. Probably.”

Okay, now the little lady’s got swords too, Batou told her. She ignored him.

“Now,” Kusanagi repeated, taking a step forward for emphasis.

Still grinning like an idiot, he took off his coat, the soft ruffle of it hitting the floor revealing there were no weapons inside it. Also, to Kusanagi’s surprise, she saw no guns on his belt, and he even gave her a twirl, showing he had no weapons stuffed in the back.

“Ah, shoot, looks like I left my Peacemakers back home,” he mockingly groaned. “Well, ‘least I still got my handguns.” He held his hands like they were guns, pointing them in Kusanagi’s direction.

Major! This lady’s got a freaking chain, too! Batou sounded panicked. The bitch is toying with me!

Things were starting to get worrisome.

“Funny, but you’re not done,” Kusanagi stated. “Put your hands behind your head and lay down on the ground.”

The cowboy’s smile got a little wider, taking on a very dangerous feel. “You can’t see it, can you?”

 _See what?_ Kusanagi thought, her ghost suddenly ringing alarm bells like a fire had broken out.

“Oh right, you’re ordinary folk. Of course you can’t see it. Heck, you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about. That’s why your comrade back there is getting his ass kicked. And why yours is about to be. Shame too, I would’ve loved a proper shootout with ya’.”

“Put your hands behind your head, NOW!” Kusanagi screamed.

“Bang,” the cowboy said, jerking his right arm as if he’d fired a gun.

The next instant, Kusanagi’s gun exploded to pieces right in her hands.

“What the-?” she gasped as she stumbled backwards in shock.

“Woosh.”

Before she could fall further back, the cowboy was suddenly in front of her, cocking his arm back to land a haymaker right in her face. She quickly pulls her arms in front of her to protect herself.

“Pow.”

His fist slams into her arms, crushing the metal limbs under the sheer force of the hit and throwing her body back through the air and into the doorframe.

Kusanagi felt disoriented, and that was saying something for someone with such high-grade prosthetics as hers.

“AAAAGGHHHH!” Batou screamed.

“Oof, I hope you people got spare parts for those arms. Yours and his both.” the cowboy winced, looking past her into the next car. “It’s a real good thing for you and your friend that you’re full-on cyborgs. Otherwise we mighta killed you two by accident. And our boss don’t like us killing people he don’t tell us to kill. Includin’ decent-seeming folk like yourselves who’re just doing your duty.”

Nothing was making sense in Major Motoko Kusanagi’s head. Her gun exploding because a man said bang? A single woman carrying shotguns, swords, and chains and successfully hiding all of them from view under a dress? The cowboy’s ridiculous speed? Her arms breaking from a single punch? Now she was wishing looks could kill, so that her glare would at least hurt the cowboy in front of her.

“Hey, geezer!” came a young voice and footsteps. It was Konno Rintaro, the ‘punk kid’.

The cowboy sighed and turned to him. “You done with your stuff, Arms?”

“Yeah, everything’s ready on both ends,” he said. “Had to deal with a couple blue bots, but I shut ‘em up and tossed ‘em off.”

Kusanagi suddenly realized. Tachikomas! What happened?

Sorry, Major! they apologized. We were looking for the external ports, but then we were attacked by a weird kid with crazy prosthetic arms. He stabbed us with something and then suddenly we weren’t on the train anymore!

“So, what do we do with the cops?” ‘Arms’ asked.

 “We’ll take them off the train with us,” Kusanagi heard a female voice, and turned to see the covered woman walk into the link between the two cars, carrying a chained-up and unconscious Batou over her shoulder like a bag of potatoes. He was easily twice her size, and she held him with one arm. “Today is not their day to die.”

“You heard the lady,” Motoko heard the cowboy say, before a pair of arms suddenly wraps around her and lifts her onto the cowboy’s shoulders. “This is our stop!”

For a brief moment, Motoko considered kicking the cowboy, but decided against it, as without the Tachikomas or the ability to stop the train in time for whatever it is they had planned for it, the cowboy was her best shot at getting off the train safely.

They ran back, going to the third car in the back, opening the door and standing on the very back of the runaway train. After straining her neck to look behind, Motoko surmised from the low urban development she saw that they were at the outskirts of the city

“I hope you know what you’re doing!” she shouted over the wind.

“Sure we do!” he responded. Then he grasped the woman’s hand and the boy (reluctantly) grabbed the cowboy’s arm.

“Alright, as soon as we pass through the Gate, we jump! Got it?” the cowboy told his comrades.

“Got it!” Konno yelled.

“Yes,” the woman said.

“What gate?” Kusanagi asked.

And then suddenly they passed through.

One moment, Motoko Kusanagi was looking at the empty railroad track behind her. The next, she was staring at the immense face of a glass and steel skyscraper.

“NOW!” the cowboy screamed, as the three members of Free Magic jumped. For a moment, they were falling in the air. The next, the woman’s full-body dress opened like a parasol and expanded to the size of a tent and arrested their momentum. Motoko, having no time to marvel at the impossible feat in front of her, then turned her attention to the train-

*CRASH*

-just in time to watch it crash right into another skyscraper.

WHAT THE HELL! Saito cried.

Motoko Kusanagi couldn’t believe it. Literally.

WHAT THE FUCK! Pazu exclaimed

She had to be dreaming. But her senses and systems were saying she was wide awake.

The banner van- HOLY SHIT! Bolma swore.

She had to have been hacked. But her immediate dive found no trace of a virus or outside access of any kind.

Wait, Pazu, Bolma, what’s going on? Togusa asked.

There had to be a rational explanation. One that explained how Free Magic was able to instantly transport a train on ground level from the Niihama outskirts to the middle of the air in the financial district.

That- that’s- this can’t be real, Ishikawa stuttered.

She barely noticed when they touched down, the cowboy dropped her onto the sidewalk, the woman placing Batou next to her, and then the three entered a waiting car that drove off.

Oh my God. Major, how did this happen? Kusanagi had ignored the rest of the chatter between her teammates and the police rushing about, keeping people away from Higashisanjou Law Firm, as well as getting them out, before the train lodged into a few of the building’s upper floors fell out onto the street or did more damage to the building. But she gave her honest, Socratic answer to the chief.

“I do not know.”


	2. Triple X Whammy

“Speech”

_Thought_

**_Flashback_ **

Cyber-comms

<Video/phone/writing>

* * *

 

“I don’t believe I need to tell you how difficult this situation has become, Section 9 Chief Aramaki,” Prime Minister Kayabuki stated.

“No, I don’t believe you need to,” he replied, looking back at not only the Prime Minister, but also the Ministers of Home Affairs, Justice, Transportation, Defense, Internal Affairs and Communications, and the Niihama Public Prosecutor.

**_He and the rest of Section 9 all looked at the video footage from the incident just earlier. Although to call what had happened a mere ‘incident’ is to severely downplay the actual events of said ‘incident.’_ **

“Until now, Free Magic was not regarded as a serious threat to national security,” the Minister of Defense flipped through the file he was reading. “In all four prior incidents, while they did target high-profile individuals, most notably the former secretary of finance from the prior administration, their actions were simply heists, and the information thy released onto the Internet had nothing classified, and any harm done wasn’t permanent. But what happened here defies belief.”

“Your team came face to face with the members of Free Magic responsible for yesterday afternoon’s events,” the Home Affairs Minister stated. “We need you to tell us everything you know about what happened.”

Aramaki nodded. “This latest incident began when a giant bullseye banner was put up across the street from Higashisanjou law firm sometime between 6 and 7 in the morning, along with a message warning them to give up the information they had on the yakuza. Soon word got out and Higashisanjou increased its security, and police arrived to provide protection. Section 9 deployed members to provide overwatch at the firm and another was sent to Police HQ to look over evidence to discern what methods they might utilize. Then at precisely 12:35, Free Magic hijacked the outbound B line train. A total of five members have been observed to be directly involved, with three on board the hijacked train, and two more laying advanced groundwork for its approach.”

**_Two videos were played side by side, in sync and in real time. On the left was a video recording of a train station cleared out and manned by security detail, and the one on the right revealed a bird’s eye view of the street outside the Higashisanjou law firm, across which was a giant bullseye banner. In the left side video, nothing seems to be happening, then a young woman dressed in simple gym shorts and a tank top with a massive backpack barrels right through the security men and knocks out all three of them on her side with ease, while a man dressed in a tan trench coat does the same on the other side. Then, she jumps onto the track, opens the backpack, and pulls out a banner identical to the one in the other video, which immediately spreads out across the track and stiffens up to stand on its edge, with the young woman’s hand still on it for support. Then the train arrives charges forward, makes contact with the banner-_ **

Aramaki continued. “As the train continued onward, the remaining members of my team were deployed to watch and/or board the train to engage and arrest the members of Free Magic.”

“Obviously, that didn’t happen,” the Defense Minister groused.

“Yes,” Aramaki replied. “From the three members on the train, my team encountered a man who could destroy a firearm at distance through some invisible means, an arms master of unparalleled caliber, and a cyber-hacker able to break into cyberbrains, trains, and our Tachikomas with ease. These three repelled my team long enough to ensure that the other two members off the train could complete their objective, allowing them to complete their mission and escape.”

**_And then disappears right into it. And just as it was somehow getting sucked into the banner on the left, it simultaneously was coming out of the banner in the right side video, its momentum carrying it through the air and right into section of windows right in front of where the Higashisanjou execs were holding their conference. After the back half of the train touched air, Motoko and Batou were taken off the train by Free Magic as its members leapt off, the woman’s burka opening like a parachute and slowing their fall. The banners in both videos had disappeared after the train finished passing through them. After getting down to street level, all three of them took advantage of the chaos around them to drop off their human luggage, get into the street, open a manhole, and disappear into the sewers._ **

**_After the train passed through(?), the woman holding up the now-absent banner then staggers and falls forward onto her hands, exhausted. Her partner then takes out a few sheets of paper from inside his coat and tosses them in the air, where they fold themselves into paper airplanes and fly toward each of the cameras in the stop. When the last plane reaches the camera used for the video, the man and the woman disappear from the video._ **

“Have you gotten any positive identification on any of the suspects?” the Public Prosecutor asked.

“We have learned that two of the members involved in the hijacking are brother and sister, named Rintaro and Aye Konno. Rintaro is suspected to have been responsible for hacking the cyberbrains of the passengers who stampeded off the train, the train itself, and the Tachikomas. As of yet, whatever he used to hack each of these, we have found no trace, and thus are classifying him as a super class-A hacker. But we have yet to identify any of the other members.”

**_“So the reason they’re showing their faces is because they think we can’t find them?” Bolma asked._ **

**_“No,” Batou replied. The team had seen his memory of the fight with the woman in the burka. She had been practically bouncing off of everything in the train car with how much she was jumping around him and dodging his bullets. In the end, she was able to break both of the arms of his high-performance prosthetic body with a chain before knocking him out with an axe kick to the crown of his head. Aramaki was glad that he had new bodies prepared for each of the fully-cyberized members of Section 9 ahead of time, so that they wouldn’t be handicapped for long._ **

**_“The reason they’re showing their faces is because they think we can’t stop them,” Major Kusanagi finished. “And whatever it is they did on that train, it’s certainly given them good cause to think that way.”_ **

**_“I’ve also still been looking for the other members involved in the hijacking,” Ishikawa said. “And unfortunately I haven’t been able to find any record of them at all. No names, school photos, surveillance videos, military records, nothing.”_ **

**_“What about the Konno siblings?” Togusa asked. “We know they’re members of Free Magic, so can’t we use them to find the rest of them?”_ **

**_“Tried that, but it looks like ever since they ran away three years ago, they’ve been keeping their heads down, so I haven’t been able to find anything on them.”_ **

“Do we know how Free Magic was able to pull off that- that- that magic trick of theirs?” the Internal Affairs and Communications Minister stammered. “The public and the media have been banging down the government’s doors all day demanding answers and they’re getting frustrated with our responses.”

“I’m afraid that remains a mystery,” Aramaki replied. “While it would not surprise me to learn that someone was researching teleportation, I remember it being said at last year’s theoretical science conference that the amount of data required to perform it even once surpasses the capacity of the entire Internet, and would likely require enormous amounts of power. And yet Free Magic was able to do so while side-stepping both problems.”

“So there is nothing new you have to tell us about Free Magic?” the Prime Minister asked.

**_“Are we all just going to ignore the fact that these guys have freaky supernatural powers and that they just kicked our asses with them?” Batou blurted._ **

**_The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, and everyone looked at Batou and each other._ **

**_Then Togusa responded. “Isn’t it a little early to call what they did supernatural? Maybe science fiction, but to call that supernatural-”_ **

**_“Togusa,” Batou interrupted. “They moved a train five kilometers distant and a hundred meters in the air in an instant using nothing but a matching pair of painted papers. You explain to me how that sounds even remotely scientific._ **

**_“That’s enough, Batou,” Aramaki ordered. Batou quieted down. “I understand we’re all frustrated. We failed to stop Free Magic from killing the Higashisanjou board and we still don’t know how they did it, and our two best combat operatives were beaten in close quarters by unknown individuals. Yes, we’re all frustrated, but we’re also still here and Free Magic is still out there, and arguing over that which we don’t know enough will get us nowhere. Major, Batou, go and get into your new bodies before reporting back to duty. The rest of you I want looking into everything we can find about Free Magic. I don’t care how you get it, just do it.”_ **

“No ma’am,” Aramaki said. “So, is there another reason that I am here?”

“I am afraid so,” the Public Prosecutor said, reaching into his suit and pulling out a letter, and handing it to Aramaki. “My office received this only two hours ago, from Free Magic. It has a list of their next targets.”

Aramaki opened the letter, and was surprised to see it written in flowing, old-fashioned cursive. It was short, and straight to the point:

<To the Public Prosecutor,

I have written this letter to explain to you that your office has done inadequate work in the prosecution of criminal activity in the city of Niihama.

After our assault upon the Higashisanjou law firm, we learned that your office has made three great miscarriages of justice in the last year:

Kojuro “KaKo” Kamoto, TV actor and endangered animal activist, and sexual predator and murderer of women and children.

Nobuyushi Hoshino, owner and CEO of Zebra Printing, head of the Munakata yakuza gang.

Konyo Sawachika, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister, political corruption and stock market price-rigging, stole millions from retirement plans.

We did not start out with the aim of taking lives, but you failed to deliver justice for their victims.

We won’t.

We are Free Magic.>

Aramaki’s brow furrowed in displeasure and anger. He had heard of those cases, and the fact the public prosecutor’s office had failed to deliver on those verdicts had annoyed him. Unfortunately, either because none of these cases even touched on cyber-terrorism, or his team was too busy with other cases at the time, he and Section 9 had never gotten involved in them, leaving them unable to affect the outcome of the cases. And as a man of the law, Aramaki always retained a particular distaste for vigilantism.

“Have they made any moves yet?” he asked.

“Aside from send that letter, none that we are aware of,” Kayabuki said. “As for our moves, the Public Prosecutor already arranged police protection for ‘KaKo’ and Nobuyushi Hoshino before contacting us. As for our dear Minister, I believe you’ve already noticed our beefed-up security?”

“Yes, I have,” he acknowledged. Major, have you finished looking over their security?

Yes, Kusanagi replied. And I have to say they’re not taking many chances. I’ve counted more than thirty guys in suits on the ground, another dozen in plain clothes, and I’ve spotted six sniper teams covering the angles. I’d say they’re pretty secure, but after what Free Magic pulled just to off some corporate lawyers, I’m still worried.

“However, as you probably have already surmised,” Kayabuki continued, “we still don’t feel entirely secure with our arrangements. While the Defense Minister would love to bring heavier equipment to bear, such an action would panic the public, and your group has always been better at being discrete. So, we would like you to help us protect these three men from Free Magic and, if possible, catch and arrest them.”

Aramaki bowed his head. “As you wish, Prime Minister. I will immediately inform my team and get them ready.”

“Thank you, Aramaki.”

**GitS/HxH**

**Six Hours Later…**

In police work, there were two field jobs that always took the longest and always involved long stretches of nothing: stakeouts, and protection detail.

Batou and Togusa were very familiar with stakeouts, having been out on them together more times than they ever cared to count. Protection detail, on the other hand, was a very different beast of a job that they had performed on far fewer occasions – and always with unpleasant results. This was a major reason the two men were uncomfortable with their current assignment.

“HEY! WHO WANTS TO HELP ME MAKE A BEER FOUNTAIN?”

“WOOOOOO!!!”

Although a far more pressing reason for their discomfort was the massive party being held out on the rooftop hotel pool area, which ‘KaKo,’ the Free Magic target they were protecting, had elected to throw at the last minute in light of learning that his life had been threatened with imminent doom.

While no attempts had been made on his life yet, KaKo’s party had already drawn in hundreds of his rabid fans. Both the pool area and KaKo’s penthouse floor reached capacity very quickly, so the rest of the revelers who arrived later and were turned away decided to start ‘extensions’ of the party throughout the rest of the hotel, forcing the already thin police protection to stretch itself to watch even more guests.

Batou and Togusa decided to make their job of protecting KaKo easier by being on the floor of the main party, but at the same time, it got on Batou’s nerves with how loud and annoying the party-goers were, and Togusa’s parenting instincts were ringing alarm bells with how young some of these people were, and he couldn’t help but think his daughter might end up joining a crowd like this when she got old enough.

Batou, Togusa. It was the Major.

Major, you have no idea how good you sound right now, Batou replied, continuing to look at KaKo carefully stacking wine glasses on a table, while everyone around was cheering him on while trying to bob their heads and hands to the dubstep tune in the background.

I agree, Togusa said. Has something happened with the Internal Affairs and Communications Minister?

No, nothing yet, Kusanagi responded. He’s been on pretty good behavior for a target, just eating meals, watching movies, and staying away from windows. But the Sun is setting, and I reckon that if Free Magic is going to do anything soon, it’s going to be under the cover of darkness.

That’s going to be just great for us, Pazu said sarcastically. It’s bad enough Bolma and I are not allowed to protect a yakuza head from on the same _boat_ , but nightfall is going to make even keeping track of anyone or anything who might go overboard an even bigger pain. And that’s to say nothing of the seagulls that keep pooping on us.

I’m afraid we all have little choice, Kusanagi replied. Free Magic wants these men dead, and we’re the only ones who have met them face to face. That makes us the best qualified to protect them.

At the very least, this will give us insight into just how big Free Magic really is and how well they can handle tackling multiple objectives, Ishikawa jumped in.

That is assuming that they focus on all three men at the same time and not go after them one at a time, Saito replied.

Oh, can we- wait, hold on, Batou suddenly noticed KaKo start making choking sounds and pounding his chest. Oh, shit! He immediately grabbed for his gun and made to rush forward-

And then a Chinese girl in a stereotypical red Chinese dress slapped his back especially hard and something came flying out of his mouth onto the floor. He heaved huge gulps of air, muttering “What the fuck was that?” Another person picked it up off the floor, exclaiming, “It’s a ring!”

Batou put his gun back and faded back to his original position, as the Chinese girl confessed to putting the ring in his glass, winning her his company. Batou, what happened? Kusanagi asked.

False alarm, he groused.

Mr. Batou, one of the Tachikomas assigned to his detail piped up. Why do humans throw parties? Wouldn’t it be a lot less trouble to just call everyone to acknowledge a special occasion and ten go back to doing what’s important in their lives and not waste it doing extravagant things like make beer fountains?

Batou sighed. Tachikoma, life is hard, and sometimes you just need to unwind and relax in order to get through it.

Huh.

**GitS/HxH**

Motoko Kusanagi still felt uneasy.

This particular feeling of unease had started less than half an hour ago when the Minister returned to his in-mansion home theater to continue watching his movie of choice, Hitchcock’s _Psycho._ Ever since that feeling emerged, she decided the best thing to do would be to stay in the theater with him. That feeling had yet to go away, and it stemmed from the fact that it almost felt like she had been… _feeling_ something, but not with her body, but her Ghost. It was if it was screaming in her ear that someone else was there, and they were ready to kill the Minister the moment she turned away.

It was a feeling she had never felt before, and she had already concluded that Free Magic was behind it. She had no way of figuring out Free Magic. One day they could be cleaning out an entire art collection, the next they could be ramming trains into corporate boardrooms. One day they’re dashing thieves, the next they’re vigilante killers.

And that’s not-

Major! It was Saito. A whole fleet of cars just crashed into the gate! They’re charging the manor!

It must be Free Magic, the Major drew her gun, and rushed to the Minister. “Hey, Minis-”

Afterwards, she would note that the man had been sitting unnaturally still for at least twenty minutes before Saito alerted her, and she actually hadn’t been hearing him breathe for at least ten of those minutes. But she didn’t know that now. As she reached her hand out to him, her hand ran into something, and suddenly cracks spread in front of her like one would see from a window or a sheet of ice before something shattered like glass and disappeared into nothing. Kusanagi drew back in shock of it, and saw that the image behind it was of the Interior Affairs and Communications Minister, Konyo Sawachika, the mechanical insides of his prosthetic body revealed to the world from a neat slice just above the shoulders, while the head that normally rested above that was nestled softly in the Minister’s hands in his lap.

**GitS/HxH**

Everyone, get to your people now! Pazu and Bolma heard from the Major. Free Magic has already killed the Minister, they’re likely moving already for their other targets!

“You heard the lady,” Pazu said.

“No need to tell me twice,” Bolma responded, bringing their small four-man boat in line with the yakuza multimillion dollar quadruple-deck yacht.

As they were doing so, they suddenly heard a *thunkthunk* right behind them in the boat. They turned around to find rocking there in time with boat cresting each little wave on the open water was a pair of unpinned grenades.

The two panicked and immediately jumped out into the freezing water of the Pacific Ocean. A moment later, was a pair of *BOOM*’s, sending pieces of their little ship flying through the air. After quickly noticing their boat wasn’t about to sink, Pazu and Bolma grabbed onto the side of their ship and were about to get out of the water when they heard gunfire. Ducking down, they looked up at the yacht to see a giant flock of seagulls swarming about the boat, along with a lot of birds they didn’t normally recall out at sea, such as pigeons, a few hawks, and even an eagle and a vulture.

They also saw the birds clutching guns in their talons and shooting them at the yakuza on the ship, who were shooting back.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Pazu said, stupefied.

**GitS/HxH**

“KoKa, we’re leaving, and that’s final,” Togusa insisted as he tried to catch him to take him away from the party.

“And I said, I’m staying, and that’s final,” KoKa shot back, leaping around like a monkey, his partygoers playing keep away with him as well and making things harder for the detective.

“Get back here you little shit!” Batou shouted as barreled through people to get to the celebrity brat, whom he had no idea how he had become famous in the first place. “We’re trying to save your life, dammit!”

“You only live once, man! YOLO!” he yelled, as he jumped right over the large officer’s arms and into the arms of another girl, this one dressed in a skimpy yellow bikini.

“Here, let me take you away from these bad men,” she yelled, and took off toward the pool area, laughing all the way as Batou growled and continued chasing him.

Then, as they got outside, Togusa cut them off, his hands out to either side to keep her from running around him. “Stop this childishness! It’s only going to make things harder for you!”

“He’s right!” came a female voice. KaKo turned his head around, and saw the Chinese girl he’d been hanging around earlier come stomping at him.

“O-oh, hey babe!” He stammered, wriggling out of the bikini girl’s arms to walk forward to the girl who had saved him from choking on a ring earlier. “Hey, look, I’m sorry about ditching you, and-”

*SMACK*

The Chinese party-girl had pulled her hand back and smacked right on the side of the head, one that was easily heard by the whole entourage, even over the music.

Allowing everyone to see KaKo’s head come flying off its shoulders and soar through the air and over the lip of the roof to the street below, while his body collapsed onto the floor in a bloody heap.

And while everyone, even Togusa and Batou were distracted by that sight, the Chinese party-girl who had just killed KaKo leaped over the roof and followed after the head.

Togusa and Batou rushed to the edge of the roof she had jumped and looked over to see her falling to the pavement without a sound as a Tachikoma turned off its Thermal-Optic Camouflage right underneath her. She flipped and landed on the blue Think Tank with a crash, breaking all four of its legs and damaging its main body. Then she leaped off of it and onto a nearby van that immediately took off.

“Dammit,” Batou said. They only had two Tachikomas for this assignment, and the Major had the rest at the manor where they were protecting the Minister. It meant that Free Magic had gotten away right under their noses, again.

**GitS/HxH**

Safronova Lilya Yurievna let out a sigh of relief and dispelled her Cloak of Invisibility as the sedan she had jumped her finally carried her out of sight of the mansion, and thus any cameras that were set up around the place. It would be very difficult for the police to track her ride considering there were two dozen others of radically different types that ‘Armand’ had commandeered in order to allow her the luxury of options in order to escape. Although she was very lucky the cars arrived on time for her to escape, considering how much time it actually took her to carry out the assassination.

The problem was certainly not a lack of ability, after all, the mansion didn’t have a single Nen-user on the premises, and no amount of prosthetics could help when up against a master Nen-user like herself. In fact, the heaviest amount of gear on the grounds of the estate were the well-camouflaged spider-like robots hiding out on the roof and on the grounds, and there were only four of those, so there was no way they were going to get in the way of her escape.

The problem was that she had been required by the boss to use stealth to carry out the mission, meaning that she had to make sure no one noticed her coming in or getting out. And the moment she reached the home theater where the Minister was located, she ran into the cyborg chick that Flynn Hess had fought on the train. The guy never forgot a beautiful face, literally, so he always had Armand’s sister Aye draw it so that everyone could see it, which meant that she recognized her.

The cyborg had been standing outside the door the whole time, but the moment that Safronova sneaked into the theater behind the Minster, the cyborg followed inside. For a moment, she was afraid the cyberized woman knew that she was there, but as she kept standing there, she realized that the woman truly wasn’t aware of her presence, but she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she had somehow sensed her Nen. Which would be incredible, considering that the boss had discerned that those with cyberbrains were impaired in their ability to both use and sense Nen, and especially those with full-body prosthetics, and thus barely any natural flesh to speak of.

The cyborg woman was very vigilant, so Safronova had to be very careful not to spook her. She was forced to shave time off of Cloak of Invisibility to conjure a full-body Mirror Illusion between the cyborg woman and the Minister. It was slow and pain-staking to do in order to make sure she got the illusion right and that the cyborg didn’t witness her actually make it. Thank goodness _Psycho_ was playing and the infamous shower scene was coming.

Then, finally after she was certain the woman couldn’t see through the Mirror Illusion, she briefly dropped her Cloak of Invisibility and transmuted her Glinting Dagger. When the murderer arrived on screen and the screeching music played, she covered the Minister’s mouth and sliced her blade through his neck, keeping his head on his shoulders to keep it rolling off. Safronova looked to the cyborg. She didn’t notice. She then put back on her Cloak of Invisibility and returned to the door, where she conjured another Mirror Illusion right over where the door was, opened it silently so that the guards on neither side of the door could notice it open, closed it just as quietly, and got away to the outside, just in time for the cars to arrive and for her to escape.

<Safronova,> came the voice of her boss over her earpiece. <How are you?>

“I’m alright, Files*,” she replied with a smirk. “You’re gonna love what I’ve got to share with everyone when I get back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pronounced FEE-lays*


	3. Hunting X for X Answers

 

 

 

"Speech"

 

_Thought_

 

<Video/Phone/Writing/Intercom>

 

Cyber-Communication

 

Zexian Yuan was told often that he needs to quit smoking, even as people marveled over how such a dedicated smoker as he could keep his lungs so clean. As much as he appreciated or were annoyed by people's concerns for his health, he never wanted to quit smoking because he was always stressed. This was perfectly understandable, since he was one of the Chinese Triad's top enforcers, which meant that there was always something or someone to stress over, from collecting money owed from debtors to dealing with international gangs trespassing on Triad territory and business. While sex and violence did wonders for venting that stress, one simply could not go around screwing and shooting people every other two hours, so smoking was the only truly reliable means of relieving stress he had for any time of day any day of the week.

 

Now, there was another reason he wouldn't quit cigarettes, but it wasn't something he shared with a lot of people who he didn't kill right afterwards, since it was the secret to his robust health and his rise through the ranks of the Triads.

 

And so, while one of the Triad's regional bosses negotiated drug trade with a Russian mobster looking to establish a presence in Niihama inside Il Veneziano, the city's only Italian restaurant, he went outside and lit a cigarette. As he was taking a long drag on the cigarette to send the relaxing nicotine to his brain and smoke to his lungs, he stared out at the world, seemingly doing nothing but watching nondescript cars and blissfully ignorant civilians go by. In reality, he was stressing himself out over another matter.

 

"Hey, Swiss," came a squeaky, grating voice from his left.

 

Zexian sighed, letting the smoke waft out of his mouth. "How many times have I told you not to call me that, Yahui?" he growled.

 

"Don't know, do you?" he replied, stepping alongside him.

 

The two men could hardly have contrasted more sharply with one another if they had tried. Zexian Yuan was tall, broad, with a well-trimmed circle beard on a roguishly handsome face with a head of short black hair, and dressed to the nines in a dark three-piece suit and a black diver's watch on his wrist. Yahui Ren was a string bean almost a whole head shorter with a long, sallow face below long, stringy blond-dyed hair and dressed in a blue and red ski coat and white sweat pants.

 

In truth, Zexian hated Yahui very much, and vice versa, but they had to tolerate each other. After all, they knew each other's greatest secret, and each would only ever approach the other if their bosses deemed a job too dangerous for anyone else to perform, and if they were both close enough to one another that working together was possible, they considered extra insurance for a job well done.

 

"So, do the bosses want us to deal with Free Magic?" Zexian asked Yahui.

 

The smaller man snorted. "That obvious, huh?"

 

"They've been in the news lately, and that stunt with the train was obviously the work of Torches, as was that attack on the yakuza. I would give them credit for creativity, but their flagrant use of Qi has been giving me headaches since yesterday."

 

"It isn't the attack on the boat that got the bosses to send us," Yahui said, causing Zexian to raise an eyebrow. "It was actually the hit job on KaKo. Video of that attack went viral, and they noticed something rather interesting about the killer."

 

"What's that?" Zexian asked, taking another puff.

 

Yahui gave a smile. "It's Xue."

 

Zexian's eyes widened in surprise, and he pulled his cigarette from his lips. "Xuegang Jin? She's alive?"

 

Yahui nodded. "Yeah. Turns out the little powerhouse is not only still in the land of the living but she's running around with a new crowd, and they happen to be named Free Magic."

 

Zexian scratched his beard, the cigarette between his fingers still burning. "I think that guy we spotted her with that time is why she's here."

 

"Me and the bosses agree," Yahui said. "They want us to deal with Free Magic, especially in light of the yakuza attack. Xuegang has been running around with these guys for months, so she's both a traitor to the Triad and a valuable source of information. The bosses want us to get her and bring her back so we can squeeze everything she knows about Free Magic before killing her."

 

"Sounds good," Zexian dropped the cigarette and rubbed it out under his shoe. "Only problem is that she's likely shared with them everything we know about Qi, so she's probably lit a few of their Torches as well, and if that train trick is any indication, she's found a genius or two in that group, which is going to make fighting them very difficult, and separating her from them will probably be just as much of a problem."

 

"I've already had her name and photo dropped on the dark web and sent to all the informants," Yahui said. "All we have to do is wait for her to pop her head up and then we can follow and catch her at our leisure."

 

Zexian sighed. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was the best they could do at the moment, and they could fill it in with more details as they learned more. They still had to be cautious, as they had no idea how much she had changed since running away, and there was no telling what abilities her new friends had. "Alright. Where's your hotel?"

 

**GitS/HxH**

 

In the English language, there are six basic one-word questions a person can ask, five start with the letter W, and the sixth with the letter H. Each of these questions ran through the Major's mind as she watched Ishikawa trawl through the Web in search for answers on the subject of her questions.

 

_Who is Free Magic?_

 

"Ishikawa, have you found anything on the faces we picked up on surveillance in Free Magic's last appearances?" Kusanagi asked him.

 

"Nothing new. Even with AI Support, we haven't been able to find anything else on the people we saw, let alone on where they went after they did their jobs."

 

_What is Free Magic?_

 

"Have you been able to find any record of their presence online yet?"

 

"The only thing that's changed is the chatter about them. I've already come across over three dozen different online forums each with multiple threads devoted to discussing Free Magic alone. I've found evidence in the Dark Web that different government organizations and underground rings have expressed interest in Free Magic for their abilities and fear for what they may do to them."

 

_When did Free Magic begin?_

 

"Have you found anything new about their history?"

 

"The first known Free Magic operation was their robbery of banking mogul Nariakira Kataoka two months ago. One morning, they accused him of a variety of crimes, from embezzlement to murder, and declared they were going to rob him as punishment. That night, in spite of increased private security and police protection, they cleaned out his entire estate. The next morning, they published evidence online for his misdeeds and left the goods at various charities to be auctioned off."

 

"But now they're killing their targets instead," Motoko mused. "Any sign that the Free Magic we're facing now is different from the one that committed the robberies?"

 

"Hmm," Ishikawa mused. "The argument can be made both ways. On the one hand, their decision to resort to assassination instead of robbery can be evidence that another group decided to take Free Magic's name in order to steal their notoriety in order to have a bigger effect when they attacked their targets. On the other hand, they have used identical equipment and have equal skills in infiltration and escape."

 

"The only question in either case is what the catalyst was to make things change to what they are," Motoko thought.

 

_Where is Free Magic hiding?_

 

"Any sign of where they're hiding?"

 

"Still no. The only clue we have is that they've predominantly attacked targets within or around Niihama, so their base is probably somewhere inside the city. But since they have access to an entire fleet of cars and because they were able to strike three widely separated targets at once, they could also be anywhere in the city."

 

_Why was Free Magic doing this?_

 

"Do you think they're doing this just for vigilante justice?" she asked him.

 

"I can't say," he said. "But I don't think you would ask something like that if that's what you really thought."

 

"True," she stood up and crossed her arms. "I can't help but think there's another reason for their actions."

 

"Do you think it has something to do with their supernatural abilities?"

 

And there was the most important question in the Major's mind. _How was Free Magic doing what they did?_

 

"Honestly, now that I think about it, their abilities may be what is lying at the heart of this affair. In the end, putting aside their identities, numbers, location, and even motivations, solving any of it will do us no good if we don't figure out what their abilities are, and how to counter them. But I guess you haven't made any progress on that either."

 

Ishikawa pushed up the dive connector for the computer, and spun in his chair to face the Major. "None. Just the usual Internet conspiracies and forum discussion boards. They have a thousand ideas and a thousand explanations. The only useful thing they've thought about that I've fonud was whether or not what Free Magic was doing was part of a rational or irrational magic system."

 

Kusanagi quirked an eyebrow. "Rational or irrational? How can magic be rational or irrational?"

 

"It refers to whether or not the magic system of a particular setting follows a single, consistent, set of principles that determines how it works," Ishikawa explained. "An irrational magic system doesn't have a consistent set of rules. For example, American superhero comics have a lot of different superheroes who exist side by side in the same world, but they all have widely different powers that are usually based on wildly different principles based either in science fiction or fantasy."

 

"Whereas a rational magic system has a single set of rules that applies to all supernatural abilities in a particular setting," Kusanagi surmised.

 

"Correct. One example is the Earthsea fantasy series by Ursula K. Guin. All magic is controlled and expressed by use of a language called the Old Speech and through runes that communicate the language. While there are a variety of different powers one could master, from healing to weather control, all abilities stem from the same means and source."

 

"I think I get the point you're trying to make: that we need to find out what kind of magic system Free Magic is utilizing."

 

"Yeah, because what kind of system they use can affect how we approach them. If it's an irrational system, then we would have to investigate the members of Free Magic one by one before determining our strategies for arresting them. But if they employ a rational system, then we simply have to learn the principles of the system they're using and then make a single plan that can be employed, with variations, against the group as a whole."

 

"Then let's hope their 'magic' has rationality," Kusanagi said. But then she rested her chin on her hand as a thought came to her. "On the other hand, if it is a rational magic system they're using, and it makes learning it easier, what's there to stop us from learning how to use their abilities ourselves, or more importantly, anyone else?"

 

**GitS/HxH**

 

Tamaki Konno felt that he had lived a rather successful life.

 

While he had been born into a comfortable middle class life as the son of a corporate salaryman, his good grades and high praise from teachers soon filled him with a resolve to get to the top and make a name for himself. He was glad Japan didn't have a draft during World War IV, it would have delayed his entrance to college after he graduated from high school. After that, he found his way into Tsuchida Finances, a small brokerage firm, starting at the bottom of the ladder. And now, twenty-six years later, the Tsuchida Financial Conglomerate was an international powerhouse in the financial world, and he was its CEO. Indeed, the only thing for which he was wanting in the world was a legacy, something to ensure the immortality of his name.

 

"Yes, that's them," he said. That was especially true now as he stared at the photographs of his current, and very disappointing legacy. "Rintaro and Aye."

 

"Thank you," the detective named Togusa put the photos back in his jacket. He and his fully-cyberized partner, Batou he said, had come in saying they were from Public Security Section 9, and wanted to know about his children. He never liked police, and so he made sure he did as little as possible to attract their attention in all of his business.

 

"What is the point of this, detectives? You must have pulled up all of their information online already, so why are you going through the trouble of coming to me?" He was exasperated with them already.

 

"Because we discovered that they were involved with Free Magic's train attack on the Higashisanjou law firm," Togusa said. "And because you're their father, we were hoping you would have some insight into them that we wouldn't find online."

 

"Detectives," he growled. "Anything you need to know about my children is already online, because I saw to it that as much of it as I deemed necessary was put there. This is something I have made expressly clear to them for years as I raised them, that I desired that they pull themselves up in the world either by capitalizing on their reputation or rising up in spite of it, so long as what they did was legal.

 

"And if you want to ask me where they could probably be," he continued, "I assure you that I've already had people look there. I assume you've probably seen my bank records, and noticed the transactions I've been making to private investigation agencies. I've been trying to find them ever since that boy decided to run away with his sister, and no one I've hired has even seen them. Frankly, I'm at the edge of my patience. If the latest investigator I hired doesn't succeed, then I'm just going to disown those brats and be done with them."

 

"Ah, I see," Togusa said, glancing at his partner, who returned the look. "With all that in mind, why did they run away?"

 

"Simple," he turned in his seat to look out the window. "They didn't like how I raised them and expected the world of them, so they ran away to be 'free' of me and to fulfill their small-minded desires."

 

He saw a flash of anger pass through the detectives faces, something he saw more visibly with Togusa. People often had that reaction when he told them so bluntly how he raised his children, but it was always strongest with other parents who weren't of like minds to him. He didn't care about people like them.

 

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Konno," Batou said, pulling his partner away so that the both of them would leave. As they walked out the door, Konno sighed and sat back in his chair. He really wanted to get his children back, so that he could properly admonish them for their stunt before setting them back on the right path. Now it was only a question of whether his man, a self-professed "retrieval expert," would find Rintaro and Aye or whether Section 9 would. He wanted an update from Mr. Montes, and so he was tempted to call him, but hesitated at the thought that the detectives were tapping his line for exactly that purpose.

 

_I would rather not my children get caught in the crossfire if things turn violent,_ he thought.

 

But then he remembered that the detectives mentioned Higashisanjou. More specifically, the impossible train that killed its board members. Up to now, all official sources said that law enforcement was baffled as to how Free Magic had pulled off the roundabout assassination. His own contacts had said as much, except for one from Africa that said that he had an idea as to what was at work, and warned him not to get involved with such people. And now it seemed his wayward son and daughter had done just that.

 

_They brought this on their own heads._ He grabbed the phone.

 

**GitS/HxH**

 

Thank you for the information, Kubota, Aramaki said to his friend. Keep me updated if anything happens.

 

The cyber-comm was disconnected, the image of his friend disappearing from his view and he immediately contacted the Major, her image sliding into perspective. Major, I just learned something.

 

You've got great timing chief, Kusanagi replied. We just learned something interesting as well, but you can go first.

 

Alright, he acknowledged. I just learned that Intelligence has spotted three suspected Imperial American agents entering the country, and they're currently here in the city. Due to the timing of their arrival, we suspect they're either using Free Magic as a cover for their mission, or Free Magic is their target.

 

Good to know we're not the only ones who's worrying about them, Kusanagi sighed. Also, Batou and Togusa just wrapped up with Tamaki Konno.

 

Did they learn anything new?

 

At first, no, she explained. But the man told them that he had been hiring private investigators and they requested we check his bank records and tap his phone lines. The guy has spent over ¥70 million on private investigators, and not all of them have squeaky clean reputations. In fact, his latest hire is a suspected international criminal, one Martin Montes.

 

I've heard of him, Aramaki replied. He showed up five years ago. The man is an independent retrieval specialist who usually works for the Italian Mafia or the Russian Mob. He always commands high prices for his services, seeing as he has yet to fail a job or been caught.

 

Yeah, but we learned all that after we heard him talk with Mr. Konno over the phone, she stated. He's apparently told Mr. Konno that he's on the Konno siblings' trail, and promised to bring them back to Mr. Konno "broken, but alive."

 

Do we know where he is? he asked.

 

Ishikawa traced the call to a coffee shop that wasn't too far from the building that hosted Higashisanjou as well as the hotel where KaKo had his party, Kusanagi said. After that, we were able to get a picture of his car, so we've sent Batou and Togusa after him.

 

Very good, he praised her. We need to-

 

Chief. It was Bolma who interrupted. Word came in from Azuma and Proto you need to hear.

 

I'm guessing the reason they're breaking cover is related to Free Magic? Aramaki theorized.

 

Yeah, Bolma replied. They learned that the Triad is getting antsy over Free Magic. Then things got interesting when they recognized the Chinese girl who killed KaKo.

 

Did they get a name? the Major inquired.

 

Xuegang Jin, he said. They know she's 16, they don't know where she was born, but they did pick her up from Beijing's streets. She's a trained assassin, and she worked for them killing people for years before she successfully faked her death and ran away from them nine months ago.

 

Is there anything else about her they could learn, perhaps anything about possible abilities? Aramaki pleaded.

 

Nothing on that, Bolma disappointed him. But the Triad wants her back, so they've sent her old supervisors after her. A pair of notorious enforcers, named Zexian Yuan and Yahui Ren.

 

I'll have the AI support get to work on finding them immediately, Aramaki replied. As soon as we have a lead, you, Saito and Pazu will go after them. They can possibly lead us to finding not only this Xuegang Jin, but other members of Free Magic as well.

 

Roger. Bolma disconnected.

 

Major, Aramaki returned his attention to her.

 

Chief, Kusanagi began. How much are you willing to bet that the Americans are after one of the members of Free Magic as well?

 

About as much as you, and I would likely go one step further and say that the 'cowboy' you fought on the train is the one they're pursuing. Intelligence is already shadowing them, so I'll send you with a Tachikoma to meet up with them as soon as we find them.

 

Roger, she acknowledged. One more thing, is anything about this bugging you?

 

What do you mean?

 

The American Empire, the Triads, and the CEO of Tsuchida Financial Conglomerate, she listed. Aside from the fact that all three have a lot of money and power, right now the only thing they have in common is that they are chasing after Free Magic because of the connections that members of Free Magic have with them. The group has to already be aware of this much. So do you think-

 

"That this is all a trap?" Aramaki realized. "It would be a perfect demonstration of their power, it would tie up loose ends with their members' pasts, and it would fit their established M.O. perfectly. Make sure to communicate that with your team, and tell them to prepare for a fight."

  
**GitS/HxH**

 

Sitting on a public bench at a bus stop, all of the world walking by unaware, was the leader of Free Magic himself, dressed in an unassuming dark gray suit ensemble with a maroon shirt and navy blue tie. If one were to stop and take a look at him, they wouldn't quite be sure what to make of him. To look at his face, one would see a young man in the prime of his youth and a smile that held not a single care in the world, all set beneath a head of black hair with silver dyed edges. Yet one would have no idea where to place his heritage, with an off-white pallor and a structure that would pass as native in both Europe and East Asia, with deep grey eyes that betrayed some alien nature to him.

 

Once again, night had fallen around him. The time for the operation to start was almost upon them. Doing things under the cover of darkness was very cliché, but it couldn't be denied that there were definite advantages to doing so, from fewer people walking around to get underfoot to reduced visibility for your own actions. But most of all, for Files* Joor's tastes, it was suitably dramatic for this occasion.

 

It was then that a small insect flew up from a nearby sewer grate and toward Files Joor. It landed on his cheek, and then crawled back on his head to his ear and hung from his earlobe, looking for all the world like an exotic earring.

 

"Is everyone in place?" he spoke as if on a phone.

 

<Yep,> replied the insect, communicating what its maker relayed. <Ome is waiting for Xuegang at the restaurant, Nobukazu has met with Rintaro already, and Masazumi is watching Flynn get ready.>

 

"Has the expected response been sent?"

 

<Not exactly. We knew the Triad was going to send Yuan and Ren, and they are tailing Xuegang right now. We just found Rintaro and Aye's father's hired guy driving towards where Rintaro is staying for now. And Max and Jay are getting into place to fight Flynn, but I saw a woman traveling with them.>

 

"This could be a problem," he mused, allowing his smile to drop. "We don't have time to change the plan, and our members are too scattered and busy to be of aid to each of them. What of the police and the government agents?"

 

<Logan's keeping a read on their broadcasts, and Shuko's birds are helping me keep an eye on them.>

 

Then he smiled again. "What of Section 9?"

 

<I've been keeping a special eye on that group like you asked. Several of their members are moving towards each of the fight zones. They'll likely see what happens.>

 

"Very good." He stood up from the bench and head for the intersection, waiting for the light to give the go. "And whose zone is Motoko Kusanagi headed towards?"

 

<Flynn's.>

 

"Very nice."

 

<Filaes?>*

 

"Yes, Rise?"**

 

<Why are you so interested in Section 9? Especially Kusanagi?">

 

The light changed, and he joined the crowd in crossing the street. He looked up at his eventual destination, Section 9 Headquarters. "It's probably cliché, but let's just say that from the moment I saw her sketched face, I felt Fate tug at my strings."

 

***pronounced FEE-lays* **pronounced REE-zay****


End file.
